M'lle Vera, from the Actors and Actresses series (N45, Type 1) for Virginia Brights Cigarettes 1885 - 1891

This tiny card from the late 19th century, produced by Allen & Ginter for Virginia Brights Cigarettes, offers a glimpse into the commodification of celebrity. It's part of a series featuring actors and actresses, and here we see M'lle Vera, a performer whose fame was leveraged to sell tobacco. Consider how this image creates meaning. The visual codes of the time position her as an object of desire, an image of feminine beauty designed to appeal to cigarette smokers, predominantly men. These cards were inserted into cigarette packs, incentivizing repeat purchases and creating a collectable set. The actress, known or unknown, becomes a tool of marketing. To understand this image better, we might research the careers of actresses like Vera, and the emergence of celebrity culture in the late 19th century. These commercial images played a role in the growth of mass media and the construction of fame, reminding us that art and visual culture are always embedded in social and institutional contexts.